From Jim Thorpe’s 1913 move to the New York Giants to Tom Brady’s 2023 re-retirement and a blockbuster 2025 Doncic–Davis trade, Feb. 1 is full of turning points. Bettors should expect a trade of that magnitude to swing lines: Lakers likely become favorites in early matchups, Mavericks face downward pressure, and player prop markets (Doncic points/rebounds, Davis rebounds/blocks) will move sharply.
On This Day in Sports — February 1
1995: John Stockton became the NBA’s career assists leader, setting a benchmark that reshaped guard expectations for playmaking. 2006: Epiphanny Prince scored 113 points in a New York high-school blowout, breaking the girls’ national prep scoring record. 2016: Duke fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2007–08, ending a long streak of national poll presence. 2014: Danny Miles reached 1,000 career wins at Oregon Tech, joining an elite coaching fraternity.
Baseball and Early Milestones
1913: Olympic great Jim Thorpe signs with the New York Giants, a high-profile jump from track and field to professional baseball. 1914: In a stunt to globalize the game, the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants staged an exhibition in Egypt that ended in a 3–3 tie.
Hockey and Figure Skating Highlights
1956: Hayes Alan Jenkins led an American sweep of Olympic men’s figure skating in Cortina d’Ampezzo. 1964: Bobby Rousseau exploded for five goals in a dominant 9–3 Montreal Canadiens win over Detroit.
Football — Coaches, Rings and Re-entries
1950: Curly Lambeau, founder and longtime leader of the Green Bay Packers, resigned after 31 seasons and six NFL titles. 1968: Vince Lombardi stepped down as head coach in favor of assistant Phil Bengtson while remaining in the front office for 1968. Major Super Bowl moments on this date include the Patriots’ 32–29 win over Carolina (2004) on Adam Vinatieri’s late field goal, the Steelers’ 27–23 victory over Arizona (2009) capped by Santonio Holmes’ clutch catch, and Tom Brady’s fourth-quarter heroics and Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception to lift New England to the 2015 title. 2023: Tom Brady announced his final retirement at age 45.
Golf, Track, Tennis and Horse Racing
1998: David Graham won the longest Senior PGA Tour playoff in history with a birdie on the 10th extra hole. 2003: Regina Jacobs became the first woman under four minutes for the indoor 1,500 meters, a landmark at the Boston Indoor Games. 2008: Jockey Russell Baze recorded his 10,000th North American win at Golden Gate Fields. 2020: Sofia Kenin captured her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open with a comeback win over Garbiñe Muguruza.
Modern Headlines and a Game-Changing Trade
2014: Peyton Manning secured a record fifth NFL MVP trophy, further cementing his legacy. 2014 also saw punter Ray Guy become the first at his position elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2025: In an unprecedented midseason swap, two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other when Luka Dončić moved to the L.A. Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks — a seismic rearrangement of NBA title calculus.
What This Means for Bettors
Historic signings, retirements and especially blockbuster trades create immediate market volatility. A midseason star swap like Dončić to the Lakers typically drives money toward the newly stacked contender, depresses the traded-from team’s odds, and spikes player prop markets. Sharp bettors will watch early line movement, matchup-adjusted totals, and usage-rate projections to exploit short-term inefficiencies.
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Today in Sports, February 1 - Jazz guard John Stockton passes Magic Johnson’s all-time NBA assists mark of 9,221
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